Welcome
It is the second week in the season of Lent. A time set aside for humble meditation, reflection and repentance as we look forward to celebrating the new that God in Christ came to do. In a deep sense it is a time of waiting and so today we focus on our response in a time of waiting.

Call to Worship (Psalm 33:1-3)
Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

HYMN 286 Tell out my soul

Prayer

Let us pray
Let us kneel before the Lord who made us; for he is our God, we are his people, we the flock he shepherds. God, you desire to shelter us under your wings like a hen protects and comforts her young. God, your right hand is powerful on our behalf even when we go our own way.
O God, maker of all things, lover of all men, your presence is with us always, help us to look to you in these times of trouble.
You are the source of our life, and without you we and all things would cease to be. You alone are real: everything else derives its reality from you. Help us to worship you fully with mind and heart; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Father, we come to you conscious of the things within ourselves we hate to remember yet cannot forget and fear to renounce: our self-indulgences, our prejudices, our resentments, our hypocrisies, our selfishness. Save us from self-contempt as we acknowledge these things and as we remember your love for us in spite of all that we are and do.
Give us the assurance of pardon, the release and relief of those who know that the past is forgiven, and the zest and joy of those who know that the future is always secure because of your covenant of grace. May we live in the fullness and freedom of life, which you have promised that we can share through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Lord God, you know how much we need you in our daily lives and how often we forget you. When we forget you, do not forget us? Give us strength when we are over-strained, guidance when we are perplexed, courage when we are afraid. Deliver us from undue self-concern, that we may find fulfilment in the service of others. Make us sensitive to others’ needs and swift to meet them. Save us from the tension and anxiety, that having done the best we can, we leave the rest to your disposing. And in all things – joy or sorrow, success or failure, health or sickness – mould us, we pray, nearer to the image of your son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen

Scriptures

Genesis 15:1-12;17-18
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” ² But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”^[a] 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.” ⁴ But the word of the Lord came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.” ⁵ He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” ⁶ And he believed the Lord; and the Lord^[b] reckoned it to him as righteousness.

⁷ Then he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.” ⁸ But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” ⁹ He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” ¹⁰ He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. ¹¹ And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
¹² As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him.

¹⁷ When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. ¹⁸ On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,

Luke 13:31-35
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ ³² He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me,^[a] “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. ³³ Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.” ³⁴ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! ³⁵ See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when^[b] you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”’

HYMN 139 Praise the Lord, your heavens adore him

Reflection

If there is one thing I can not stand, it is waiting? So, I am sure many can relate, I arrived at the emergency department of the Royal Infirmary Hospital at about 8:30am on the 24 February and left at about 3:30pm. The treatment was great but the waiting could have killed me. I like to be in control, it gives me a sense of security and so if someone says they will be somewhere or do something by a specific time I will be waiting. Do you enjoy waiting? I am sure if you honest many may be like me, waiting frustrates you because it robs you of your sense of control and security.
I am sure even if you have not read the bible lately or even if you don’t know any of the Old Testament, you have heard the name; Abraham or maybe even Father Abraham. The reason you have heard his name is because God made an amazing promise to Abraham. Genesis 12:1-3“Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ² I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’

Abraham goes, he leaves his land and trusts God’s promise to a degree. He leaves his country but Lot, his nephew goes with. How often do we trust God to a degree, we do what he wants us to do but with our own twist, leaning on our own understandings? To cut a long story short but to put the Genesis text into context, Lot and Abraham go their own ways, Lot is captured by a number of Kings. Abraham goes on a rescue mission and against the odds wins the battle and rescues Lot. Everyone would think that Abraham would be in a good place after his victory but you know because you have experienced it sometimes our victories bring fear and insecurity as they are often hollow and they highlight what is missing, our real longing.

Genesis 15:1-2 “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” ² But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”” It should be noted God takes the initiative, to remind Abraham that God is on his side. Victories can sometimes make us feel fragile. Victories can sometimes make us reflect on our real longings and desires that seem to have been deferred. Abraham has so much and yet as God reminds him of God’s favour, the longing, the missing comes to the fore. I am not sure what that is in your life. The thing you are waiting for? Life is good on so many fronts but even the victories remind you of the longing unfulfilled. Our focus on one unfulfilled promise can make us doubt and question all the promises of God. We focus on that one thing and in a sense, it blocks or skews our view of God. In our human understanding we cannot see the positive outcome. We start to use that dangerous word, “never”. It has not happened; I can’t see how it can and so we question if it will and then we question God. Basically, Abraham is questioning God’s prior promise of many descendants, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless,” Abraham then goes on to respond that a slave’s child will be his heir, basically rubbing God’s promise in his face. God responds by saying the plan has not changed, you will have an heir of your own.
Genesis 15:5 “He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”” Our natural instinct when we feel down or when we doubt a positive outcome, is to focus inward and on all that is missing, forgetting what there is. God takes Abraham outside and asks him to look up. God asks him to look at the stars, to look out beyond himself, way beyond himself. Some psychologists and sociologists during the initial lockdowns of 2020 were advocating for people just to get out and look out. To physically take our eyes beyond this little space and help us to see a bigger picture. Scripture can sometimes do that as well. As Abraham looked up, his world-view is that God created the sun, the moon and the stars. In a sense he is placing his eyes on what God has created, brought into being. I do not know when last you have gone out at night and looked to the heavens because it can change our perspective. It can right size God and our concerns. It can also in an instant make what we see as impossible, possible.
God had asked Abraham to trust him and the text says he does but it seems to be for a moment. Again, when God reminds him of how far he has come and the land that would be his; Abraham responds: “O Lord God, how shall I know that I shall possess it?” (Genesis 15:8) And then something amazing happens, they cut a deal, sign a contract. It is hard to comprehend with our modern minds, because in the twenty-first century not many make these kinds of deals. It is also not common modern custom to shed blood when a huge deal has been concluded. We might have a meal or some champagne to celebrated but killing animals in a ritual act is not part of concluding a contract.
God asks Abraham to kill and cut, specific animals in two and while Abraham is sleeping, God reminds him in words of the promises of land and many descendants. Then God literally cuts a deal! Genesis 15:17 “When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.” That makes no sense to our modern mind. In those days however, agreements, contracts were made, sealed by walking a figure eight between the two pieces of the carcus of an animal saying or implying “May it be done to me as to these animals if I do not fulfil my part of the agreement.” Maybe we should reimplement this contract especially between politicians and people they’re meant to serve. Can you imagine how things may possibly change? God was making a contract; a deal with Abraham.
Do you notice what Abraham did? Nothing, he was sleeping! God was not only saying Trust me but he was saying it is all on me. The outcomes are not based on you fulfilling some set of actions. If you know Abraham and Sarah’s story you will know that in a very real way the outcomes, the promised outcomes happened in spite of their misplaced actions based on human understandings. Right from the start and throughout the scriptures God reminds us of this pattern. God’s outcomes are assured, His promises are sure because they on Him and for us. God makes covenant with Abraham and then asks him to mark that covenant with circumcision. I don’t know if you have thought of this but the very first thing God asks the Israelites to do is relational. Have a meal, put the blood on the doorposts and trust me. God chooses Abraham and makes a contract with him. God chooses the Israelites, rescues them and then gives them rules to follow as His people. Exodus 20, we know it well for the ten commandments. Exodus 20: 1-2 “Then God spoke all these words:² I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery”. It’s a pattern, God initiates, promises and asks us to trust him. In our humanness we default to: if we don’t, do the right thing or say the right thing we are not going to experience the promised outcomes. We default to rules when all along God desires relationship. In our moments of doubt, we often default to there is something I need to do and when we think we have done it all we expect the outcome.
When you doubting, God’s provision, protection and promises, remind yourself that a relationship always proceeds rules with God. Commandments are confirmation of belonging and covenant not conditions thereof. Abraham slept while God cut the deal; made the contract. To clarify, I want to briefly outline the three different types of contracts that were available during the ancient times. Firstly, a bilateral parity treaty, this is much like your standard business deal today between two equals. Basically, laying down responsibilities and benefits for both parties – I will do this if you do that or if I don’t you don’t have to. We can’t really enter into one of those with God, it’s based on parity, equals. Yet, often we try to make deals with God. Secondly, a bilateral suzerainty treaty. A suzerain is a state or sovereign that has a degree of control over another. You know the concept or idea. The King dictates the terms and the vassal-state does not have much choice except to comply or experience the consequences. Like when a government unilaterally changes the tax rates. Israel’s relationship with God in some way was like this. God often putting Israel into a time-out, exile when they did not trust His ways. Sadly, still so many see their relationship with God through this lens, only when we have done our part does God do his. Let us remind ourselves that God made covenant with Abraham while he slept and that covenant was fulfilled in spite of all Abraham’s doubts and actions. The third type of contract is a promissory covenant. This is so foreign to the western modern-mind, one party binds itself to an obligation for the benefit of another party. This is not bilateral or unilateral but it is unconditional. God promised Abraham that his name would be great. He would be a great nation and through his family all nations would be blessed. God extended his borders and fulfilled his promise in spite of Abraham’s doubting and actions. There are obligations and rules in a promissory covenant but they nothing like the hundreds of rules the Israelites failed to follow.
In this season of lent we need to remind ourselves that while we were still dead in our sin, God made a way. As you wait on the Lord for what he has promised you, you may need to look up and remind yourself of the nature of your relationship with God. God in Christ fulfilled his promise to Abraham and at the same time made a new covenant with all of mankind. It was, is and always will be a promissory covenant. Meaning it is all on him and all for you, me and the you next to you! While Jesus’s disciples were celebrating their rescue by God through sharing in bread and wine, the Passover, Jesus points to something new. Luke 22:20 “And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” Can you see it, a new covenant, on him, his blood, for you? It is not nor never will it be dependent on us. Your action, cannot change the desired outcomes of God’s love. He desires for you to know his love. I don’t know what you’re waiting for? Do not allow that one thing to skew your view of God. As you wait, look up and know God in Christ treats you like a child. Luke 13:34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” Are you willing to place your trust in him afresh today?

HYMN 553 Just as I am without one plea

Prayers

Lord our God, you have surrounded us with the good gifts of your love. We remember them now, and we thank you, the giver of all good things. You have given us the gift of life itself. For the years that are past we thank you; for the years that are to come we trust you. Help us Lord to trust you when we see you at work and when our human mind tells us it is impossible.
You have given us the gift of love. For our families and our friends and for all the human relationships that enrich our lives we praise you. We praise you most of all for your eternal desire to share in deep relationship with all mankind.
You have given each one of us special gifts, to serve you. May our thankfulness be expressed in using each gift given in ways that bring you glory. You have given us Christ, and through him you have offered us life in all fullness. We thank you for empowering us with your very presence.
Father, hear us as we pray for our fellow men, both near and far, and help us to know that your desire is that we treat each one as part of your one family. Break down the prejudice, the selfishness and fear that separate men from one another. Help the nations of the world to find a way to live together in peace. Forgive the arrogance of the strong and the resentment of the weak. Bless the work of all those who are bringing aid to those in need throughout the world, and show us how we must bridge the gap between wealth and poverty, plenty and hunger.
We pray for all those who find the pace and strain of life too much for them; for those who fear redundancy; for those who have lost confidence in themselves and especially for those who have lost confidence in you.
Give your help and guidance, Lord God, to all whose work affects the lives of others. Give wisdom and integrity to our leaders; to those who serve in Parliament, especially to those who bear the burden of decision in government, especially in these turbulent and perilous times.

Father, we bring to you now the special needs of people known to us as neighbours and as friends: those who are sick; those who are bereaved; those who are lonely; those who are afraid; those who are ashamed; and those who are bitter. You know their needs better than we do. Give them, not what we ask, but what your love directs.
Let us pray together as Jesus taught his disciples to pray

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.

HYMN 531 My Jesus, My Saviour

Benediction

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Sung Amen

Acknowledgements:
Bible Quotations taken from: New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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English translations of The Lord’s Prayer, © 1998, English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC), and used by permission. www.englishtexts.org

Welcome
This is the first Sunday in the season of Lent and so at the beginning of our journey to Easter we reflect on the time Jesus spent I preparation before the start of his public ministry. Forty days and forty nights, fasting in the wilderness, tempted by the Evil One and encouraged by Angels.

Call to Worship (Inspired by Psalm 91)
As we enter the wilderness of Lent,
Let us seek to rest in the shelter of the Most High;
We abide in the shadow of the Almighty;
We find refuge under the wings of our Holy God.
We trust that the angels of God
the words of God
the people of God
the very hands of God
Will somehow bear us up.
As we seek to hear God’s voice
And follow his purpose and will
We humbly come to Worship the one
who has promised and is ever present. 

HYMN 512 To God be the glory

Prayer

Let us pray
Above all earthly power, O God, you are reigning.
Help us to acknowledge you as king. Underneath the depths of human weakness and sorrow are your everlasting arms: help us to trust in you for all our needs. Beyond the reach of our imagination and desire is your never-failing love and care: help us to realize your presence with us, and to offer the worship of heart and mind and will – all surrendered to your service through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Though we are bound to you, our God, by many ties, we recognize that in our lives there is restlessness, anxiety and fear. These often arise because we reject your leading. We wonder from your purpose and way as we listen to other voices, we ask you to give us now the humility and honesty to admit our failings and the courage to repent of them. Hear us, therefore, when we pray:
Lord, have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.

Thank you for your grace and forgiveness. Now fill us afresh with your guiding and empowering Spirit that we may serve you and bear witness to your unending love and faithfulness.
Amen

Scriptures:

Romans 10:8b- 13
⁸ But what does it say?
‘The word is near you,
    on your lips and in your heart’
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); ⁹ because^[a] if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. ¹¹ The scripture says, ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame.’ ¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. ¹³ For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Luke 4:1-13
4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, ² where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. ³ The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ ⁴ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.”’
⁵ Then the devil^[a] led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶ And the devil^[b] said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. ⁷ If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ ⁸ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written,
“Worship the Lord your God,
    and serve only him.”’
Then the devil^[c] took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,
“He will command his angels concerning you,
    to protect you”,and
“On their hands they will bear you up,
    so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”’
Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’  When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

HYMN 337 Forty days and forty nights

Reflection:

This is the first Sunday in the season of Lent a time in many faith traditions set aside to reflect and repent. Forty days, Moses was up on mount Sinai communing with God and receiving the commandments. When Moses returned His face shone, those forty days had changed him. Forty days between resurrection and ascension, Jesus returning to glory. Some say it takes forty days to instil a habit, forty days of consistent and persistent behaviour in the same direction can form a habit. And good habits have a lasting positive impact on us. You may never have deliberately set aside 40 days to focus on your faith journey, your spirituality, so right at the start of this reflection I want to challenge you to put in place something specific, that is going to focus your attention more clearly on God. Make it clear, obvious and achievable. Some form of Spiritual discipline you are going to make a habit so that you can hear what God is saying to you. It could be times of Solitude and silence; we hear God more clearly when we remove other voices. It could be serving others or studying the scriptures, in serving we are like Christ and the scriptures reveal God’s heart. Choose a tried and tested way that will allow you to listen to what God is saying to you this season.

Last week the lectionary gospel text, was the supernatural event of the transfiguration. Peter, wanted to set up tents to stay on the mountain top, to preserve the experience but the voice of God interrupts him with these words, “‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’ (Luke 9:35). Those words echoed another mountain top experience for Jesus when he was baptised in the Jordan river, the voice had said “This is my Son, loved by me “and the Spirit came on him powerfully. A few weeks ago, we reflected on Jesus in the synagogue, reading from Isaiah and declaring His mission statement, his purpose for being. Jesus, had come to open the eyes of all to the nature and character of God, to set captives free and declare the year of the Lord’s favour. From that moment on he would go out and teach about the Kingdom of God and he would demonstrate that Kingdom come in his presence by healing and casting out demons. From his identity received at baptism on the banks of the Jordan to his purpose proclaimed in the synagogue and then lived out. Ultimately, Jesus would lay down his life in obedience to the will of the Father, Easter which we will celebrate in 40 days’ time.

Mark 1:12-13 “ And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. ¹³ He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.” Matthew, Mark and Luke all have Jesus in the desert for forty days of testing and tempting. In our world of comfort, where popularity and money are praised and prized, we often seek to circumvent the desert to avoid it at all costs. The desert is a dry and desolate place. The desert is a place of solitude and survival, when we would much rather prefer to be guided to a secure and successful place. In Jesus’ journey between the proclamation of his identity at his baptism and his own declaration of his mission statement, he goes to the desert and is tested and tempted. He doesn’t just go to the place we avoid; no, he is led by the Holy Spirit. Is that even a possibility in your Spirituality? Would you be able to hear God leading you to a place of testing and tempting? God tested Abraham and then provided, a lamb in the thicket. God tested the Israelites in the desert as he guided and provided daily. We often test things that are important and vital. You would want the brakes on your vehicle to be thoroughly tested and obviously you would want any medication you took to be thoroughly tested. In the gospel of Mark, the word used is “drove” or “pushed” it has the sense that this could not be avoided. There is an urgency and a necessity for a desert time of testing and tempting between identity revealed and purpose lived out.

I have used two words testing and tempting, and they are often used interchangeably and I think it is because they often happen simultaneously. The Greek word can be correctly translated “to test” or “to tempt”. God tests us to see how faithful we are, if our trust is placed on him alone or on the ways and things of this world, are we depending on Him listening to his voice? Satan tempts or seduces us to make a mistake, to make the wrong choice. God tests us to bring out the good, Satan tempts us to make the bad choice even when we know the good. Often these two are at play in the same scenario. If you struggle with the concept of an evil one incarnate in the form of the devil, the Hebrew word could literally be translated “adversary”, the one who is not for you but against you. The ones against Jesus often came in the form of people like pharisees and even his own disciples. Luke however over and over again in his gospel uses Satan to refer to a supernatural being. Mark’s gospel has Jesus with “wild animals” symbolic of earth, the natural, and angels symbolic of heaven, the supernatural.

There are three temptations of Jesus in the gospels of Matthew and Luke: to turn stones into bread, Jesus is famished, not in itself particularly bad; to jump from the temple because you have enough faith that God will protect you and to bow down just once so that you can take charge, is that not what is going to happen anyway. Matthew and Luke both have the bread temptation first and they swop the next two around. As we go through them briefly, I want you to keep in mind this is happening between baptism and declaration of purpose. This is happening between identity affirmation and the fulfilling of Jesus’s mission. Luke 4:3, 4 “The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.”’ Jesus being hungry is an understatement after 40 days of fasting. Jesus is preparing for his mission and he is going to have to rely fully on God’s plan as he faces each adversary, those that would want to pull him down and those that would want to instil him as earthly king. He would have to be able to hear God’s voice and be true to what God had purposed. Firstly, Jesus is tempted to take care of his own needs. Is that not what all tempting is ultimately about, using our, power, wealth or influence for ourselves. You never really feel tempted to take leave to help a stranger, it almost always revolves around self. We wrongly confine tempting to Sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll, but what if it is far more subtle than that. What if it is using what you have for you? What if it is fulfilling your needs in a way that God had not purposed for you? What if it is simply listening to another voice, to direct your steps and not the voice of God?

Every temptation starts with an identity questioning statement, “If you are the Son of God” or “Since you are the Son of God”, the implication is you should do this, you should not be hungry or suffering if you are loved by God. But what if the hunger draws us closer in our dependence on God and what if our suffering helps us to identify with the pain of others and we deal with our selfishness so that we can bear witness to others? Jesus responds by quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3, Luke only has the first part, but Matthew includes the second part and it is vital and mostly missing in modern day spirituality, “but every word that comes from the mouth of God”. As John would repeat, in his gospel, Jesus declaring again and again, I only say what the father wants me to say I only do what the father wants me to do. And in the gospel of John when Jesus is hungry and his disciples want to feed him, Jesus responds “My food is to do the will of him who set me and to complete his work. (John 4:34) As “a Christian”, “a follower of Jesus” or “child of God”, however you describe your identity after coming to faith in Jesus, does that imply a purpose and is that purpose discovered and fulfilled in listening to God’s leading and guiding? If Jesus had turned stones into bread he would have been listening to another voice, not the one who had declared that he was a loved child. If Jesus had turned stones into bread he would have been depending on his own wisdom and strength. If Jesus had turned stones into bread, it would have been to fulfil his own needs when he was sent to serve.

How often is our divine purpose derailed by the subtle voices, that tell us all manner of good things, but they not the God thing. Maybe this lent for you is a time to reflect on your identity as a child of God and how that implies a divine purpose beyond fulfilling your own needs. What great restraint and discipline not to fulfil a personal need to advance our ultimate goal. Resisting short term satisfaction for long term glory, we are all faced with those choices daily. Next Jesus is tempted with the promise of all the kingdoms glory and authority if he would bow down and worship. In a culture driven by more, wealth, position and power, it is easy to start bowing and lifting up all manner of pursuits and prizes that take our eyes off God. Jesus reminds us that all temptations ultimately undermine God’s primary purpose for our lives: to bring glory to God. Jesus responds, ‘It is written, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”’ Luke 4:8 Again quoting from the scriptures Deuteronomy 6:13, those instructions received by Moses up on the mountain. Then the tempter took him to Jerusalem and we know that it would all end in Jerusalem, not at the temple but beyond the walls. From the highest point of the temple, you could see for miles and what magnificent views they were. Now the Adversary uses scripture in the next temptation, quoting what we know as Psalm 91 or at least part of it. In a sense the tempter is asking Jesus to prove his faith, to trust God for what God said he would do. Jump from the temple because the angels will save you from harm. This speaks profoundly to the way we may be tempted to use the scriptures. The very promises of God can be used to judge him and others when taken and applied out of context. When we presume on God, if I do this God has to do that then ultimately, we are again serving our own interests. Rather than living out God’s word to us, we seek to have God act according to our words.

Jesus would fulfil God’s words not by calling legions of angels to his rescue though he could have. Jesus fulfilled God’s word not by coming down off the cross as some tempted him to do “…, save yourself. Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:40). The temptation on the cross was even greater than that, they said they would believe in him if he came down. Time and time again Jesus would be tempted throughout his life as recorded in the gospels to listen to other voices. The steps and actions he was tempted to take were often in and of themselves not inherently bad but they were not God’s purpose and plan. The sentences in Psalm 91 just before the ones used by the Tempter read as follows: “Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling-place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.” In other words when we are following God’s voice, we are so close, that we fall under his protection. Again, Jesus responds by quoting from Deuteronomy “Do not put the LORD your God to the test.”

Have you ever travelled through a desert all alone? You may feel like you in that place right now! Please know you are still a child of God and he has a divine purpose for you, take time to listen to his voice. Have you ever fasted for forty days? You may have had an empty feeling for a long time? Please do not be tempted to fulfil your purpose outside the voice of God’s call. He calls us His loved children and he has a purpose for each one of us to bring him glory. When you find yourself in the desert know you are not alone. When you find yourself in a tough place, remind yourself of your identity and remain true to your purpose. When voices call you to subtly serve self, do not be tempted to presume on God. May you take extra time over next forty days to reflect not only on your identity but also your divine purpose. That is often the purpose of the desert. Have you ever fasted for forty days and forty nights? Have you ever journeyed through a desert alone?

HYMN 550 As the deer pants for the water

COMMUNION

Prayer:

Lord God, sometimes you call us into the desert. Into those places where we must rely fully upon you for our survival. At other times your Spirit drives us into those places but each time we have entered those places we have been tempted and tested – tempted to turn back before the time is right for turning back, tempted to give up before the time you have appointed for our testing and for our growing is past.  Help us, Lord, should this be a time in our lives when we feel alone – a time in which we feel oppressed by the evil one – help us to claim the blessings that you have prepared for us in the middle of the wilderness – lead us on our journey – and bring us safe to the other side… 

Lord, hear our prayer, and in Your love, answer.

Lord God, there are many among us who face barren times – wilderness times in their lives.  Help us to minister your loving presence to them in those times so that they may come through the wilderness and enter the promised land. Help us to bring food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, shelter to the homeless, courage to those who faint, and hope to those who are tempted to despair…  

Lord, hear our prayer, and in Your love, answer.

Lord God, in this time of impending conflict between nations – this time when we are being tested to see if we will do justice as well as love mercy – we pray for guidance – and for your light to lead the way of the rulers of our nation and the nations about us…. 

Lord, hear our prayer, and in Your love, answer.

Lord God, hear our prayers for those among us who are in need – those whom we name before you now….

We ask these things through Jesus,
our brother, our Saviour, and our Lord. Amen.

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.

HYMN 396 And can it be, that I should gain

Benediction:

Benediction
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Sung Amen:

Acknowledgements:
Bible Quotations taken from: New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

English translations of The Lord’s Prayer, © 1998, English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC), and used by permission. www.englishtexts.org
Prayers adapted from Church of Scotland Weekly Worship for 6^th March 2022.

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